Expedition 14 takes over ISS command

ISS Expedition 14 crew take over command of the Station - from left: Thomas Reiter, Michael E. Lopez-Alegria and Mikhail Tyurin

27 September 2006

The astronauts on board the International Space Station will hold a short ceremony later this evening to mark the change of command from the Expedition 13 to the Expedition 14 crew. Following the ceremony, NASA astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria will be the Space Station Commander, taking over from his Russian colleague Pavel Vinogradov.

Russian Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin and ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter, who became a member of the Expedition 14 crew shortly after the arrival of the Soyuz TMA-9 spacecraft last week, join Lopez-Alegria as the resident ISS crew.

Vinogradov and Expedition 13 Flight Engineer Jeff Williams, who have been on board the Station since their arrival by Soyuz in March, are preparing to return to Earth tomorrow. Spaceflight Participant Anousheh Ansari will also end her eight-day visit and return with Expedition 13 in the Soyuz TMA-8 spacecraft. They are scheduled to land in Kazakhstan at 03:14 CEST (01:14 UT) on Friday 29 September.

NASA TV will begin coverage of the farewell ceremony and closing of the hatches from 20:35 CEST (18:35 UT) on Thursday.